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13:00 - 13:30: Lunch for Guests
14:00-16:00: Launch Ceremony: The Hargeysa Cultural Centre
The Somaliland National Vision 2030 seeks to build a nation whose citizens recognise the
unique contribution played by culture in the building of their nation. Somali heritage and
national identity in Somaliland are deeply rooted in the arts and culture. Culture, whether
it entails poetry, spoken word, song, verse or more contemporary forms of expression such
as new media or online publications, remains prevalent in contemporary Somaliland. So
why not employ culture for development purposes? The Hargeysa Cultural Center (HCC) has been created for this purpose: to
harness, promote and advance the role of culture and the arts in Somaliland’s development.
14:00 -14:15: Festival participants are invited to join a guided tour of the new Hargeysa
Cultural Centre (HCC), which will include a visit to the library and the gallery. Director of
the HCC and representatives of supporting organisations will welcome the audience.
14:15 - 14:30: Somaliland icon and internationally renowned poet and thinker, ‘Hadraawi’ will announce the
official opening of the HCC
14:30 - 15:00: A group of young dancers will perform Somali traditional dances
15:00 - 15:30: A musical performance by the popular group known as the Xidigaha Geeska (Stars of the Horn)
15:30 - 16:00: A short documentary screening followed by a conclusion to the evening.
Saturday 9th August
08:00 -10:00: In Conversation with Nuradin Farah
Author of over 10 books, Nuradin Farah is a prominent and internationally
renowned Somali writer, who has studied in India and the UK. One of the first
writers to break with the Somali oral tradition, his novels are written in English
and have been translated into a dozen languages. Farah is considered one of
the most important contemporary writers in Africa. HIBF is delighted to organise
this session in which the author will reflect on the theme of the year in relation to
his literary career, and share some his latest works.
10:00 - 10:30: Exhibiting Somaliland
A picture speaks a thousand words. This saying is no truer than for the series of
visual art that will be on display throughout this session. Prominent photo-journalists Angela Fisher, Carol Beckwith,
Kate Standmore and Yusuf Dahir will present a joint exhibition on Africa and Somaliland, past and present. This exhibition
will be accompanied by the artistic works developed by creative photography trainees enrolled on a course organised by the
some of the above mentioned photojournalists and aimed at the next generation of Somaliland photographers.
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